GANASSI CONSIDERS F1 MOVE.....

Sounds like a good deal. From where do you watch?

 

And another attempt to hijack this thread:
Monaco GP is a good one on that list. I'd recommend Goodwood to the list as well.

My list still has 24 hours of Le Mans on it. One day. Combined with a trip to Paris (there's the hook for my better half).

 

There are about 3 NASCAR races that are actually interesting to watch: Sears Point, Watkins Glen, and some other road course. You can see the 3600 lb cars sliding around on their suspensions and tires. Too bad they ruined the best part of Sears Point bypassing the Carrosel. The roundy round stuff is just plain boring, the superspeedway stuff is not worth waking from a nap to watch.

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To get more passing in F1; all you have to do is to ban all types of aerodynamic devices. No amount of moderation will work, the engineering budgets are just too large. Ban all aero devices; front wing--gone; back wing--gone, underbody aero--gone; turning vanes--gone; barge boarrds--gone; coke bottle rear body work--gone.

After this, you no longer have to regulate engine power as there is way too much now if there is no aerodynamic stuff. You no longer have to regulate brakes since the tires would not be able to induce such deceleration rates. You still have to limit tire widths, but don't have to limit sidewall heights.

Instead of 40-100 in 2.0 seconds, you will see 40-100 in 5.0 seconds with two large long black streaks from the back tires as the driver wrestles a misstle down the road. More pits stops to replace worn out tires, but less need to refuel the car.

Instead of 100 feet of braking from 215 MPH to 50 MPH (end of straight at indy) you will see 300-400 feet of braking 230 to 30 MPH. You will see passing at the entrance to the straights, passing on the straights, and passing into corners.

 

Good point about the NASCAR road races, yes those even I like.

The description of no aero F1 reminds me of GPL. I wonder why. But you're right, that alone would do the trick and nicely so.

 

Mitch/Andreas: I understand your point re. aero aids, but I'm hooked on the technology, and aerodynamics is, for better or for worse, part of it.

Andreas: I watch the Monaco GP from the K grandstands by the harbor, with a view of the giant screen. Race tickets are the only thing on which I spend big money- the rest of the trip is relatively cheap. As for Paris, it's a great hook for the wife, or anyone else for that matter. I stop there for a few days each year after the race, and now that an old buddy is buying an apartment there that he'll rarely use, I hope to go more often.

 

Now, see how much more cordial this conversation is?

So, it's education for the fans and better racing.

Or, give up on F1 is the US.

The latter is actually more likely, as the time differences kill most of the audience. There's only 3 or 4 races that are even close to being on US time.

As far as loving F1, I guess I find the whole scene interesting, but I don't really like it. Howver, I'll watch anything with wheels and a motor, including F1, Swamp Buggies, IRL, German Touring Car, Tractor pulls, Australian Touring Car, NHRA, etc. etc. I've even followed an entire season of Legends cars here at Texas Motor Speedway. F1 wasn't really big in the states when I was growing up. About the most we saw of it was Monaco once a year on ABC's Wide World of Sports, so I didn't get the immersion that apparently is necessary to really fall for the sport.

 

I would like to stake for the record that if Ganassi does get an American team involved in F1, I will leave my current job to drive his car. My boss is telling me no, but I will do this for my country.

 

Is that American football or European football (soccer)?

 

Couldn't have said it better.

Hakkinen's pass on Michael at Spa is the stuff we'll still be talking in years to come. But to a non F1 fan, it was just one passing maneuver compared to dozens of them in any given NASCAR race.

 

Ira, are you saying you have visited the 24 heures du Mans?

If so, can you elaborate on that a bit please (maybe even in a separate thread)? Where do you stay? How is travel there? Parking, hotels, do you spend the night in the Grandstands, do you bring a TV etc etc? What's the schedule (practice, qualifying, race)?

I'd like to go there one day and plan accordingly.

 

Sorry no, Andreas- I was referring to my annual stop in Paris after the Monaco GP. My attention span is entirely too short for endurance racing!

 

Actually Monaco and the South of France is really an easy sell to any woman. Paris isn't really necessary. Just mention the Provence, Van Gogh, herbes, wine, Nice.

 

It was done in the "Monty Python" sense of the question.

At the bridge of sighs:

Guard:What is the air speed of a fully laden swallow?
Arthur King of the Britans: Is that an African or a Europena Swallow?
Guard: I don't know <gets thrown off the bridge> aggggggggg
Arthur King of the Britans: You have to know these things when you are a King......

 

Ever look at an F1 audience in Europe? I dont think there is that much of a cultural gap. I also dont think that if you live in Europe and travel to different countries in Europe makes you well-traveled. A successful/WINNING US driver should garner a larger audience in this country. Just need to find somebody willing to gamble 200-300 million of someone elses money to find out.